Fear
Fear is originally by BladeOfHope, and then adopted by Bluestar&Brightheart Prologue She was trying to shelter in the storm. She had five very young, still-frail kits, and there was no way they could survive if they caught colds out in the rain. She would have to find a new, larger den if the six of them were going to survive. She looked around wildly for a place that could offer shelter, even temporarily. She could find somewhere better after the storm, but for now, anything would do- there! She spotted a cavelike space under a sturdy oak's tangled roots. Nudging her kits in the right direction, she made her way over to the space. Settling down inside, she found that, while cold, the area was snug and safe from the rain. It would work for a time. The queen brought her kits close so they could suckle while they waited out the storm. A particularly bright flash of lightning startled her and set her kits wailing. Trying to soothe them, she padded up to the entrance of the area and gazed at the cloud-filled sky. A raindrop landed on her nose, and she blinked at it. "Not the best time to have kits," she purred to herself. "Maybe the sounds of the storm will strengthen them." A sudden shadow flashed at the edge of her vision. It looked like a cat. Poking her muzzle out as far as she dared, the queen called, "Is someone there?" The crash of thunder drowned out any reply, but she saw the shadow-cat again a heartbeat later. Curious but not willing to leave her kits, she waited to see what would happen. A glint of green startled her. It was a white tom, and he looked familiar, even soaked.... "Blizzard!" the she-cat gasped. It was the kits' father! "What are you doing here?" He didn't answer. He just looked at her, his gaze sharp and searching. After a few awkwardly empty heartbeats, he darted forward, claws unsheathed, and tried to grab the littlest kit, a white she-kit that looked remarkably like her father. "What are you doing?" the she-cat shrieked, clawing at her mate. "You can't hurt them!" The tom looked up at her, but she could see something different about him. His eyes were unfocused and wild. It was like he had gone mad. "They must die, Star," he hissed, throwing the she-cat off. "Their fates are far too great for them to be allowed to live!" "What are you saying?" Star pleaded. "Please, Blizzard, don't kill our kits!" "I must!" Blizzard lunged at his mate, lodging his claws firmly in her throat. She clawed feebly at his white pelt, but she couldn't do anything to stop him. Her eyes glazed over, and the tom threw her lifeless body aside. Turning back to the kits, he dug his claws into the ground. "I'll hide them," he muttered. "Give them to the Clans, where even if they survive, their fates will destroy the Clans as well. Yes, that will do..." He nudged the tiny, recently-born kits out into the cold. They squeaked and cried, but he seemed entirely deaf to their mewling. Padding along with a solemn, emotionless expression on his face, Blizzard pushed his kits in the direction of the Clan territories. Chapter One: Snowkit Snowkit squeaked as her littermate landed on top of her. Squirming out from under the larger, more powerful tom-kit, she stood to face Ashkit. "Not fair!" she wailed. "I wasn't ready!" Ashkit, although just as young as Snowkit, already showed some muscle through his kit-soft gray fur. He towered over his sister as he looked down at her with his blue eyes. "I was just being a warrior!" Their mother, Emberblaze, padded over to them. "You're both doing very well," she assured her kits. "There's no need to argue." Snowkit shuffled her paws. "I still don't think it's fair." "Life isn't fair," sniffed Sunkit from a tail-length away. Being the oldest of the five kits, Sunkit was always trying to show up her littermates by attempting to sound wise. "You'd better get used to it if you're going to be a warrior, Snowkit." "And what do you know about being a warrior?" Patchkit scoffed, overhearing the conversation as she walked out of the nursery. "You're not even an apprentice!" "Neither are you," Sunkit pointed out. Emberblaze pushed her way between the kits as Patchkit hissed at her older sister. "There's no need to fight," the queen scolded gently. "Why don't we come back to the nursery, and take a nap?" "Don't wanna!" Ashkit wailed. "Naps are boring!" "Nonsense," the black and silver queen said, nudging them all in the direction of the nursery. "You'll all feel better after a nice, long rest." The kits muttered and settled into their nests. Shadowkit paced for a bit, then lay down beside Patchkit. Snowkit shut her eyes, and imagined the world outside, thinking about how she would be the greatest warrior ever. It was all good, until she began to dream. That was when the fear began. ~ Category:Bluestar&Brightheart's fanfics